Living on a Budget

Trade in Those Outdated Electronics

If you recently purchased an electronic gizmo or received one as a gift, then an older cellphone, computer, camera or game console may be collecting dust at your house.

Instead of tossing it, trade it in for cash, a gift card or a charitable donation—all while helping the environment by keeping it out of the landfill.

At Wirefly.com, you can trade unwanted working electronics for cash delivered to a PayPal account or a charity. A similar program—with free shipping—offers gift cards via TigerDirect.com.

Some retailers also have electronics trade-in programs that provide store gift cards. They include Costco, Best Buy and Sears. Most operate the same way. You select the trade-in item from a menu, fill out the fields on its condition and accessories, and get an instant trade-in value.